Nelson Molina has spent the past three decades picking up trash in New York and finding valuable things in other people's trash.
For years he has saved special items that their owners have thrown away.
One man's trash can be another man's treasure. Nelson Molina's experience gives meaning to this expression. For 34 years, the former New York garbage collector has found valuables in the trash and has a collection of items that tell the story of the East Harlem neighborhood.
“This was high tech when we were kids; it's a tape recorder ... from the 70s or 80s. When I found it, it worked, so I put it in the garage. I played Frank Sinatra's music, turned up the volume and worked," Nelson says to VOA.
When he retired, from a garbage collector, Nelson Molina became a collector.
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"I have a feeling when I grab a garbage bag. I know when there is something of value there or subtle. And instead of picking it up and throwing it in the truck, I'm more careful not to damage it," he continues.
When Nelson Molina decided to display his collection of 44 items, he chose the ideal location – a giant garage in the New York City Department of Public Utilities building.
A part of his collection was also displayed in a museum set up by the Open House organization in New York.
"The purpose of this exhibition is to highlight the stories of New York City. The magical element of the city that is special to the neighborhoods and especially to the people in these communities. One of the oldest pieces of this exhibition that includes 300 pieces from 45 1901 items in Nelson's collection, dating back to XNUMX – it's an immigrant's passport from Germany. The exhibit tells a lot about the people who lived in those neighborhoods," says Alicia Grullon, the museum's curator.
In the collection of Nelson Molina there are also personal portraits, some of them over 100 years old.
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"I found all these photographs at different times. There are from 1901, 1935, 1939... There is a diary from 1922, another from 1920. // I couldn't read what was written!", he continued .
The collection includes pieces of history and pop culture. One of Moliere's works published in Paris in 1810, and a toy that projects images from the Batman movie.
Toys have always been special to Nelson Molina.
"I had two brothers and three sisters. We didn't get many presents for Christmas, so a week before the holidays I would go out and look for old toys that people might have thrown away. When I came home with a little bag for my brothers and my sisters it was like Santa coming in!” he said.
Nelson Molina believes that people throw away valuable things that can still be used.
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"He has a very responsible approach to the problem of overconsumption. I think every New Yorker, every person can learn from this and hopefully reconsider their littering habits and think a little more about their own consumption and how they can reduce it," says Maggie Lee with the Department of Public Utilities.
Nelson Molina believes his collection belongs to the city - after all, the city's trash is municipal property. But the ability to see beauty and treasure where other people see only garbage - this is all his merit.
